Chris Brown

 

Last night was the Academy Awards, which means my Facebook feed was awash in comments from high school acquaintances along the lines of, “WTF was up with Kristen Stewart!?!? She was totally frowning and had some kind of bruise on her arm!!! What a slut!!! #TeamEdward.”

In my opinion, there were lots of moments last night more notable that Kristen Stewart’s facial expression. Here’s my list for best and worst moments from the interminable broadcast:

Loved It: Quvenzhané Wallis. The 9-year-old star of Beasts of the Southern Wild was the youngest Best Actress nominee to date. Not only did she rock a stuffed puppy dog handbag on the red carpet, she was unabashed in the fact that she was damn proud of herself. When they announced her name along with the likes of Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Emmanuelle Riva and Naomi Watts, Wallis spared viewing audiences the false modesty of batting eyelashes, shrugged shoulders and downcast eyes. Instead, she flexed her arms like a champion and grinned.

Hated It: So many of host Seth MacFarlane’s jokes! 

If you're tired of seeing Chris Brown's stupid face in your news feed and no longer want to hear about how he's turned domestic violence into a marketing ploy or how Dr. Drew is still making excuses for his inexcusable behavior, you're in luck: There's an app (well, a plugin) for that.

• Feministing tackles the media's coverage of Whitney Houston's death which showed another successful female artist's death related to drugs and fame: the age-old "narrative that as a woman, you can’t have it all." 
• The Athena Film Festival wrapped up this week: check out Huffington Post's take on the festival and the importance of women and filmmaking.  
• Chris Brown performed at the Grammys on Sunday: what does it say that pop culture is so ready to forgive domestic violence?  
• Are you/do you know any LGBTQQIA youth who love rock music? Check out the website, sign up for Queer Rock Camp, and read our previous Q&A with the camp's organizers. 
• The Mamafesto responds to the ridiculous absence of women on the congressional panel on birth control. 
• Don't forget that Black Herstory month is ongoing at the Ms. Blog.
• At Global Comment, Bitch contributor Chally reflects on normative love for Valentine's Day.
• This Bay Area event looks amazing! Tickets now available for Girl Talk: A Trans and Cis Woman dialogue curated by Gina de Vries, Elena Rose, and Julia Serano.
• At the Feminist Wire, Aishah Shahidah Simmons, Darnell L. Moore, & Kenyon Farrow write about who isn't calling out Roland Martin for his homophobic tweets (and who is, but doing it wrong). 
• Gawker calls Virginia's New Ultrasound Law "sexual assault" as it would force women to get "transvaginal ultrasounds" before abortions. 
• Check out Melissa Harris Perry's new show which starts on Saturday on MSNBC. 
• Slate covers one woman's experience of post-natal care in France. 
• Know any female journalists? GOOD has suggested a campaign to fight the growing gender gap for women in media by asking people to promote women through networking. Check out the twitter response: #promotewomen

Tell us what you are reading in the comments!

• Soraya Chemaly's responds to the Iowa caucuses with a piece on the incredible inequality for women in US politics.
• s.e. smith looks at the ridiculous bootstrap argument as applied to mental health.
• Watch Francesca Ramsey's excellent turnaround of the "Shit [blanks] Say" meme, "Shit White Girls Say...to Black Girls."
• He may a stone-cold fox, but Tim Gunn's disappointing fat-negativity will always be out of style.
• Get your fill of LOLs with this collection of feminine-associated products being rebranded "for men."
• There's a million things worth watching in this roundup of an excellent year for indigenous peoples' media.
• We still can't ignore Chris Brown's history of domestic violence, and we need to address these issues with people who listen to his music unequivocally.
• Greta Christina writes about why "Yes, but..." is not an acceptable response to misogyny.

Tell us what you think in the comments!

"There is no separation between me and what I photograph," said the artist Nan Goldin. This has never been truer than with the self-portrait that captures her injuries caused by an abusive boyfriend. Domestic violence is never an easy subject to talk about, but this image speaks volumes.

Hello, hello! Ready for some thought-provoking links? I knew you were!

• Today, in bad taste... anti-abortion group Life Always is comparing aborted fetuses to people killed by the earthquake in Japan. The always-astute ColorLines reports on the wrongheadedness of this tactic.
• TransGriot writes about the importance of having trans* people in US cinema, and not just as characters.
• Did you see the New York Times' claim that all of Washington D.C.'s influential pundits are young men... and Ann Friedman's response? Feministe gives us a run-down.
• Also at Feministe, Chally Kacelnik speaks of voting in Australia and the passing of fantasy author Diana Wynne Jones.
• Alvin McEwan muses on the irony of bishops denying queer people housing, and Frances Kissling talks about the life of Geraldine Ferraro, an influential pro-choice Catholic politician, both on AlterNet.
• Comic lovers, have you heard about the Black Panther's apparent change into the American Panther? Arturo at Racialicious has questions and words for Marvel.
• Some of us at Bitch HQ were unhappy to see this announcement about Mad Men's hiatus. Meanwhile at Philly, Ellen Gray explores the curious decision to include a documentary about 1960s divorce on the Season 4 DVDs. What's your take?
• The Crunk Feminist Collective ponders intimate partners' reactions to the media, asking "How can I get next to you if I can’t get next to your politics?"
  
• At the Atlantic, Sady Doyle asks what many action-film-lovin' gals have been wondering: How did we get to Sucker Punch?
• Nancy Goldstein at the American Prospect discusses the importance of "Preserving the Triangle Factory Fire's Lessons."
• Annette Bourdeau at Moviefone shares her five favorite screen adaptations of literary heroines. It's a start but is too short and limited, methinks. What are yours?
• Speaking of adaptations, AfterEllen interviews iconic lesbian author Sarah Waters about the experience of having one's novels made into TV programs.
• Are you a student? Feministing shares ideas for Sexual Assault ACTIVISM Month on your campus.
• At HuffPo, Linkins argues against the claim that political liberals are silent about invading Libya.
• Recently at a safety seminar, a Toronto cop told students that "Women can avoid sexual assault by not dressing like 'sluts.'" In protest, awesome local women are marching past police headquarters on Sunday for the Slutwalk!

What else have you been reading this week?

Which celebrity has earned more bad press for reported acts of domestic violence—Chris Brown or Charlie Sheen?

When gossip Web site TMZ.com criticized Brown Jan. 21 for appearing with designer Jean Paul Gaultier, in makeup that made him look bruised and bloodied for a "warrior-themed runway show," visitors to the site accused TMZ of vilifying Brown while giving Sheen a pass for allegedly battering his wife on Christmas.

Say! HERE'S something I can't not talk about: Chris Brown, domestic abuser, bow tie enthusiast, Oprah nemesis, and soon-to-be dancing fiend, now on approximately Week One Million of his I'm Not Really That Bad And Also Please Forgive Me For That Unspecified Thing I Did (Did I Mention I'm Not That Bad?) Tour.